There are pubs you drink in, and pubs you live in. The Poet is aiming for the second kind.
This November, Spencer Large, Honey Spencer and Charlie Sims, the trio behind Hackney's much-loved Sune, will open a new project in Farringdon. The Poet takes its place beside Smithfield Meat Market, within one of the six "Houses" built into the perimeter of London Museum's new home in the General Market. It opens first as a traditional yet contemporary British pub and dining room across the ground and first floors, with further spaces to follow in 2027, including a 10-seat chef's counter on the mezzanine and a standalone cocktail bar in the attic.
The ground floor is a love letter to the Victorian pub. High ceilings, elaborate joinery, richly textured surfaces. A double-height bar floods the space with natural light, while cosy alcoves and snugs tuck beneath the mezzanine. The bar menu riffs on familiar pub snacks, from House Pork Pie with Piccalilli to a "Scampi Fries" Scotch egg.
Upstairs, The Poet Dining Room offers something more elevated but no less relaxed. Charlie Tayler, formerly of Aulis and The Ledbury, oversees food that draws on London's cultural diversity and restaurant heritage, reimagining British pub classics through the best of the country's seasonal produce. There is a Sunday roast each weekend, an open kitchen, and an extensive wine list chosen by Honey Spencer. Tayler's CV includes time at The Ledbury, a year in Japan studying kaiseki, and a Michelin star at Aulis in 2024.
In 2027, two more spaces will follow. Envoi, on the mezzanine, will be an intimate 10-seat chef's table, its 14-course tasting menu drawing on the structure of a sonnet. Up in the attic, Shambles will be a cocktail bar inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, its name a playful nod to Smithfield's history.
The timing is significant. Smithfield is undergoing one of its biggest changes in decades. London Museum moves into the General Market on 28 November, bringing the historic building back into public use for the first time in over three decades. The Poet is the first business to be announced for one of the six Houses, part of a 10-year restoration that will see independent businesses, charities and cultural organisations move in.
The trio are candid about the appeal. "We are beyond excited to be opening The Poet in Smithfield," they told A Matter of Taste. "We've wanted to open a pub together for years; pubs are one of our finest institutions and hold such a deeply rooted and important place in British culture." The Poet, they added, "will be a pub first and foremost, honouring everything we love about a great traditional boozer, while also giving us the opportunity to bring together exceptional dining and cocktails under the same roof."
Sune, which opened in November 2023, has quickly established itself as one of London's best neighbourhood restaurants. If The Poet follows in that vein, Smithfield will have gained something worth crossing town for.